Sūra XIV. Ibrāhīm, or Abraham

The Holy Quran, tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934], at sacred-texts.com

p. 619

Sūra XIV.

Ibrāhīm, or Abraham.

In the name of God, Most Gracious
Most Merciful.

1. A. L. R. A Book
Which We have revealed
Unto thee, in order that
Thou mightest lead mankind
Out of the depths of darkness
Into light—by the leave
Of their Lord—to the Way
Of (Him) the Exalted in Power,
Worthy of all Praise!—

2. Of God, to Whom do belong
All things in the heavens
And on earth!
But alas for the Unbelievers
For a terrible Penalty
(Their Unfaith will bring them)!—

3. Those who love the life
Of this world more than
The Hereafter, who hinder (men)
From the Path of God
And seek therein something crooked:
They are astray
By a long distance.

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4. We sent not an apostle
Except (to teach) in the language
Of his (own) people, in order
To make (things) clear to them.
Now God leaves straying
Those whom He pleases
And guides whom He pleases:
And He is Exalted in Power,
Full of Wisdom.

5. We sent Moses with Our Signs
(And the command). "Bring out
Thy people from the depths
Of darkness into light,
And teach them to remember
The Days of God." Verily
In this there are Signs
For such as are firmly patient
And constant,—grateful and appreciative.

6. Remember! Moses said
To his people: "Call to mind
The favour of God to you
When He delivered you

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From the people of Pharaoh:
They set you hard tasks
And punishments, slaughtered
Your sons, and let your women-folk
Live: therein was
A tremendous trial from your Lord."

SECTION 2.

7. And remember! your Lord
Caused to be declared (publicly):
"If ye are grateful, I will
Add more (favours) unto you;
But if ye show ingratitude,
Truly my punishment
Is terrible indeed."

8. And Moses said: "If ye
Show ingratitude, ye and all
On earth together,—yet
Is God Free of all wants,
Worthy of all praise.

9. Has not the story
Reached you, (O people!), of those
Who (went) before you?—
Of the People of Noah,
And ’Ād, and Thamūd?—
And of those who (came)
After them? None knows them
But God. To them came

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Apostles with Clear (Signs);
But they put their hands
Up to their mouths, and said:
"We do deny (the mission)
On which ye have been sent,
And we are really
In suspicious (disquieting) doubt
As to that to which
Ye invite us."

10. Their apostles said: "Is there
A doubt about God,
The Creator of the heavens
And the earth? It is He
Who invites you, in order
That He may forgive you
Your sins and give you
Respite for a term appointed!"
They said: "Ah! ye are
No more than human,
Like ourselves! Ye wish
To turn us away from
The (gods) our fathers
Used to worship: then
Bring us some clear authority."

11. Their apostles said to them:
"True, we are human
Like yourselves, but God
Doth grant His grace

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To such of His servants
As He pleases. It is not
For us to bring you
An authority except as God
Permits. And on God
Let all men of faith
Put their trust.

12. "No reason have we why
We should not put our trust
On God. Indeed He
Has guided us to the Ways
We (follow). We shall certainly
Bear with patience all
The hurt you may cause us.
For those who put their trust
Should put their trust on God."

SECTION 3.

13. And the Unbelievers said
To their apostles: "Be sure
We shall drive you out
Of our land, or ye shall
Return to our religion."
But their Lord inspired
(This Message) to them:
"Verily We shall cause
The wrong-doers to perish!

14. "And verily We shall
Cause you to abide
In the land, and succeed them.
This for such as fear
The Time when they shall stand
Before My tribunal,—such
As fear the Punishment denounced."

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15. But they sought victory and decision
(There and then), and frustration
Was the lot of every
Powerful obstinate transgressor.

16. In front of such a one
Is Hell, and he is given,
For drink, boiling fetid water.

17. In gulps will he sip it,
But never will he be near
Swallowing it down his throat:
Death will come to him
From every quarter, yet
Will he not die: and
In front of him will be
A chastisement unrelenting.

18. The parable of those who
Reject their Lord is that
Their works are as ashes,
On which the wind blows
Furiously on a tempestuous day:
No power have they over
Aught that they have earned:
That is the straying
Far, far (from the goal).

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19. Seest thou not that God
Created the heavens and the earth
In Truth? If He so will,
He can remove you
And put (in your place)
A new Creation?

20. Nor is that for God
Any great matter.

21. They will all be marshalled
Before God together: then
Will the weak say to those
Who were arrogant, "For us,
We but followed you; can ye
Then avail us at all
Against the Wrath of God?"
They will reply, "If we
Had received the guidance
Of God, we should have
Given it to you: to us
It makes no difference (now)
Whether we rage, or bear
(These torments) with patience:
For ourselves there is no way
Of escape."

SECTION 4.

22. And Satan will say
When the matter is decided:
"It was God Who gave you
A promise of Truth: I too
Promised, but I failed
In my promise to you.

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I had no authority over you
Except to call you, but ye
Listened to me: then
Reproach not me, but reproach
Your own souls. I cannot listen
To your cries, nor can ye
Listen to mine. I reject
Your former act in associating
Me with God.
For wrong-doers there must be
A grievous Penalty."

23. But those who believe
And work righteousness
Will be admitted to Gardens
Beneath which rivers flow,—
To dwell therein for aye
With the leave of their Lord.
Their greeting therein
Will be: "Peace!"

24. Seest thou not how
God sets forth a parable?—
A goodly Word
Like a goodly tree,
Whose root is firmly fixed,
And its branches (reach)
To the heavens,—

25. It brings forth its fruit
At all times, by the leave

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Of its Lord.
So God sets forth parables
For men, in order that
They may receive admonition.

26. And the parable
Of an evil Word
Is that of an evil tree:
It is torn up by the root
From the surface of the earth:
It has no stability.

27. God will establish in strength
Those who believe, with the Word
That stands firm, in this world
And in the Hereafter; but God
Will leave, to stray, those
Who do wrong: God doeth
What He willeth.

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SECTION 5.

28, Hast thou not turned
Thy vision to those who
Have changed the favour of God.
Into blasphemy and caused
Their people to descend
To the House of Perdition?—

29. Into Hell? They will burn
Therein,—an evil place
To stay in!

30. And they set up (idols)
As equal to God, to mislead
(Men) from the Path! Say:
"Enjoy (your brief power)!
But verily ye are making
Straightway for Hell!"

31. Speak to my servants
Who have believed,
That they may establish
Regular prayers, and spend
(In charity) out of the Sustenance

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We have given them,
Secretly and openly, before
The coming of a Day
In which there will be
Neither mutual bargaining
Nor befriending.

32. It is God Who hath created
The heavens and the earth
And sendeth down rain
From the skies, and with it
Bringeth out fruits wherewith
To feed you; it is He
Who hath made the ships subject
To you, that they may sail
Through the sea by His Command;
And the rivers (also)
Hath He made subject to you.

33. And He hath made subject
To you the sun and the moon,
Both diligently pursuing
Their courses; and the Night
And the Day hath He (also)
Made subject to you.

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34. And He giveth you
Of all that ye ask for.
But if ye count the favours
Of God, never will ye
Be able to number them.
Verily, man is given up
To injustice and ingratitude.

SECTION 6.

35. Remember Abraham said:
"O my Lord! make this city
One of peace and security:
And preserve me and my sons
From worshipping idols.

36. "O my Lord! they have indeed
Led astray many among mankind;
He then who follows my (ways)
Is of me, and he that
Disobeys me,—but Thou
Art indeed Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.

37. "O our Lord! I have made
Some of my offspring to dwell
In a valley without cultivation,
By Thy Sacred House;

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In order, O our Lord, that they
May establish regular Prayer:
So till the hearts of some
Among men with love towards them,
And feed them with Fruits:
So that they may give thanks.

38. "O our Lord! truly Thou
Dost know what we conceal
And what we reveal:
For nothing whatever is hidden
From God, whether on earth
Or in heaven.

39. "Praise be to God, Who hath
Granted unto me in old age
Ismā’īl and Isaac: for truly
My Lord is He, the Hearer
Of Prayer!

40. "O my Lord! make me
One who establishes regular Prayer,
And also (raise such)
Among my offspring
O our Lord!
And accept Thou my Prayer.

41. "O our Lord! cover (us)
With Thy Forgiveness—me,

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My parents, and (all) Believers,
On the Day that the Reckoning
Will be established!

SECTION 7.

42. Think not that God
Doth not heed the deeds
Of those who do wrong.
He but giveth them respite
Against a Day when
The eyes will fixedly stare
In horror,—

43. They running forward
With necks outstretched,
Their heads uplifted, their gaze
Returning not towards them,
And their hearts a (gaping) void!

44. So warn mankind
Of the Day when the Wrath
Will reach them: then will
The wrong-doers say: "Our Lord!
Respite us (if only)
For a short Term: we will
Answer Thy Call, and follow
The apostles!"
"What! were ye not wont
To swear aforetime that ye
Should suffer no decline?

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45. "And ye dwelt in the dwellings
Of men who wronged their own
Souls; ye were clearly shown
How We dealt with them;
And We put forth (many) Parables
In your behoof!"

46. Mighty indeed were the plots
Which they made, but their plots
Were (well) within the sight
Of God, even though they were
Such as to shake the hills!

47. Never think that God would fail
His apostles in His promise:
For God is Exalted in Power,—
The Lord of Retribution.

48. One day the Earth will be
Changed to a different Earth,
And so will be the Heavens,
And (men) will be marshalled
Forth, before God, the One,
The Irresistible;

49. And thou wilt see
The Sinners that day
Bound together in fetters;—

50. Their garments of liquid pitch,
And their faces covered with Fire;

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51. That God may requite
Each soul according
To its deserts;
And verily God is Swift
In calling to account.

52. Here is a Message for mankind:
Let them take warning therefrom,
And let them know that He
Is (no other than) One God
Let men of understanding
Take heed.

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